Life is Made of Moments

“Life isn't a matter of milestones,
but of moments.”
                        - Rose Kennedy

I'm liking this for a Friday morning.  With all the graduations going on, it's almost like we're seeing our girls in snapshots.  Those little Daisies are now Brownies, click.  That Cadette who made it through 7th grade "fog" is now a happy Senior, applying for her first destinations. That former Gold Award Recipient just graduated from UCLA, click.  (Jen Fingal, this is a shout-out to you!  Congratulations!!)

And while these are milestones, okay so UCLA is a big one, we see them as moments. Time standing still.  That bridging moment is going to be added to that first Daisy uniform moment, which will be added to all the other wonderful moments that our girls have in Scouting.
 

It's these instants that we record on our highly efficient digital equipment for posterity. But they are snapshots in time that are engraved on our hearts, in all their Girl Scout glory! Rose Kennedy had it right:  it's the day-to-day, non-earthshattering moments that make up our full lives.

Cadette Essentials Training

 

Fun training the other night!  We had a small group of Junior leaders who are getting ready for their first year of Cadettes, and they were all excited about the opportunities offered to their newly bridged girls.

It was fun to talk about ALL the things a Cadette CAN DO!  And while some Junior leaders had already turned over much of the leadership to the girls, for some of these Cadette leaders, I think it was a new and scary thing to contemplate.  But they admitted, they were ready to come into the light and embrace this GIRL LED program.  As I said, a good night for training!!!

What can a Cadette girl do?

Earn her LIA - in all 3 Journey books.  Even if the troop isn't taking the Journey!

Participate as a girl-leader in Junior Jam. 

Be a leader in a Day Camp.

Go on a destinations adventure as a single girl, or as part of the troop.

Participate in Cadette-O-Rama.

Plan a BIG DREAM trip with her troop for their Senior year.  (Just in case they hadn't done it before!)  And plan how to achieve that goal in the next 6+ years.

Plan all her own meetings, camp-outs, trips, etc.  (New for some, already in place for others!)

Plan her troop's Journey using the Cadette Girl Guide AND the Journey books.

Earn the PA (Program Aide) pin.

Create a troop shirt to solidify their troop identity.  Without anything actually saying they're in Girl Scouts, of course!  Choose a new troop crest to go along with the new identity. Or not.

Ledger Accounting of cookie money.  A big one for many!!!  Girls learn to take responsibility for their own money. Maybe earn the level badges that go with it?  Maybe serve as the troop treasurer and write the checks, balance the check book and report monthly on the troop financials. With adult supervision and adult signatures on the check!

New system of troop government. Choosing one? Or using multiples for different needs.

Learn just how much FUN Girl Scouting can be!  They are certainly on their own person Journey in Scouting.  We're here to support that, to be sure!!

Use what you GOT!

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

--Theodore Roosevelt,

26th U.S. president

I like this, today!  We want our Silver Award girls to Take Action, using the tools they have gained through their Journeys, badgework, troops and all the levels. These are the tools that they need to use - what they have within.  Then the girls need to reach out to lead a team that brings event more support.

She needs to do this to the best of her ability.  This should be a stretch, not a walk in the park.  We're asking the girl to look within herself and use the tools to make a difference in her local community.

Not just collecting doggie blankets and neo-natal caps, but using the leadership skills that she has garnered in her GS tenure to make a measurable and sustainable difference. Now, does she need to ensure sustainability?  No, but she needs to be able to talk about how it could be sustainable.  What if her project was about the importance of spaying/neutering of all pets?  What if the information program she put together happened in ALL cities in Orange County?  California?  The U.S.?

Our girls are capable of more than service projects!  And the Take Action Projects that go with all three of the awards are meant to stretch the girl, and let her use what she has to make the world a better place.  We need to support these efforts, and push our girls, in the best possible way, of course, to achieve her goals.

Where she is.  Today.

Celebrate Leadership!

 

Celebrate Leadership!

Nominate a Girl Scout in K-12th grade to serve as a representative of GSOC.  The Celebrate Leadership event and program are designed to illustrate to the community who we are, what they do, and why it matters.
  

Nomination Information
·         Tell us about a Girl Scout that you know who has developed specific leadership qualities in Girl Scouts and how these qualities have helped them to achieve a dream, change the world, or take action to make the world a better place.
·         Girls in K-12th grade may be nominated by a parent, troop leader, or other adult or may choose to self-nominate.
·         Selected girls will have various opportunities to represent GSOC and share their story with our community, including being paired with 12 women Honorees who will be recognized as leaders in our community.
·         Girls will be expected to participate in 2-3 rehearsals, a special event with women honorees, and the Celebrate Leadership event on October 26, 2012 at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach.
·         Nomination forms are available now on the Volunteer Network.
·         Nominations include 1 complete nomination form, 2 reference forms,  and 1 essay and/or picture.
·         The deadline for girl nominations is May 22, 2012.
·         Please contact Lesley Finch with questions: lfinch@girlscoutsoc.org.

What a great way to recognize the accomplishments of our girls....

 

100th Anniversary Art Quilt

 
Is this a great art quilt, or what?  A Girl Scout, good friend and fiber quilt artist, Jamie Fingal just finished this quilt for the 100th Anniversary.  I just love it!  

I asked her why it resonates so much with me?  And she responded, that it's the happy colors!  I think it's also that my First Class Pin is in it (top left corner) as well as my original GS pin.  Good memories from my youth.

Jamie has donated this art quilt to our Adult Recognition Lunch event as an Opportunity Prize.  If you're there, you can buy a special ticket, and have a chance to win. There will only be one winner, and we will announce that person at the event.

Put the date on your calendar (if it isn't already) and send in a reservation ASAP!  
June 3, 2012. Disneyland Hotel.

PA Training success!

It was a FUN PA Training Session on Saturday!  We only had 16 girls (one whole group of 7 from a troop didn't show, darn!) and while they were mighty quiet when they entered, they were engaged and energetic as the day progressed.

One of the activities we ask the girls to do, is to work with a table group of 4, and draw a Junior, Daisy or Brownie Girl Scout.  Then, write some words to describe who she is.  I took a picture of one of this Junior girl because Chloe, Hannah, Kately and Hailey did such a GREAT job!   Each team shared "their girl" with the group, and we had good discussion about the characteristics of each level of girls.  Our PA girls know that these are the girls they will be leading in the their Day Camps, and the PA skills they learn will help them lead.

There's a real focus on leadership in this training, which is great for the girls. Many have not heard the GSLE mantra of Discover, Connect and Take Action on a regular basis, and we were able to weave that thread throughout the day.  We also put an emphasis on the the three processes:  girl led, learn by doing and cooperative learning.  I think the girls heard the message, but we'll keep telling them in Session II as well. 

These girls make me proud! I truly hope they will take these new skills and use them not only for Day Camp but for their Leadership in Action (LIA) and life experiences as well.

PA Training on Cince de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Ole!

It's a PA Session I Training Day.  As I'm writing this the day before, I can't really talk about how great a time we had, or how great the girls were.  

But I'm optimistic!  The last two trainings have had girls with eager minds accompanied by squirrely bodies. It's been fun!

We're about half way thru the training series, and the feedback from girls and parents has been great.  If your girl has interest in the PA program, be sure to look for the training schedule in 2013.  

This is yet another opportunity for Cadette Girl Scouts to take advantage of!  Partnered with the LIA (Leadership in Action) Cadette aged girls and older can really use their leadership skills to work with younger girls. What great experience!  Girl led program means giving these girls the opportunities.  We put all the options out there, and let them suss out how they would want to participate.

If you still have leader-led program, you may be short-changing your girls! Sure, it's easier for you, but it's better for them to learn how to do it all.  They need the opportunity to grow, to be a leader, to be led by other girls and to work cooperatively with others.  It's the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE).


As we say in Leadership Essentials Training, the GSLE won't necessarily create the next President of the United States, but it will help to create a girl who is  leader in her own life. She can stand on her own two feet and make good choices for herself.  She knows who she is, and what she stands for. Hopefully, with all the great experiences she's had in Scouting, she'll be a leader of others as well.


Yes, a very good thing for this Day of Celebration!  The General in Puebla led a defeat against the more powerful and well-armed French army.  And won.  He found his passion, discovered what needed to be done, connected with the Mexican militia and people to TAKE ACTION and win. Truly, GSLE:  leadership in action!  Vive!